


Bonds Best Unbroken

by theauthor2010



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Gen, Grief/Mourning, Loss, Parental Bonds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-23
Updated: 2012-07-23
Packaged: 2017-11-10 12:49:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/466467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theauthor2010/pseuds/theauthor2010
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the anniversary of Stiles' mother's death, Derek risks it all by letting go of secrecy to repair Stiles' bond with his father.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bonds Best Unbroken

Every single year they visited her grave together. It was a tradition that helped father and son deal with the memory of the woman they lost and the anniversary of the day they'd like to forget. This year, however, was different. Stiles woke up on the anniversary of his mother's death just to remember that his father wasn't speaking to him. He let out a shaky breath and blinked to stop himself from crying. C'mon now, that was silly. His dad would talk to him today of all days.

Stiles got up and went to the kitchen. His father wasn't there and there was a note on the refrigerator that simply said "be back later." There was no indication of where he'd be, no "I love you" and no plans for the evening. 

Stiles had been handling the fact that he was losing his father pretty well up until this point. He let out a sob and shook his head. God, he was losing absolutely everything to this werewolf bullshit. It wasn't even his fight. Yes, he had taken on a role in the lives of Derek, Scott and the pack but that wasn't his choice or his problem. He'd been forced and now his dad wasn't even there at the anniversary of his mom's death. 

He broke down into hysteric sobs, sitting on the kitchen floor and letting the panic attack overtake him. It had been a long time since he last let go, breathing harshly and feeling the waves and waves of dizziness. For the longest time all he could do was breathe in and breathe out. 

That was when Derek burst in through the locked door. Stiles let out a surprised cry and his head snapped upward. "What the hell Derek?" he yelled, unable to stop hyperventilating even as the attack subsided. "Don't werewolves know what a locked door means?" 

Derek went down to his knees by Stiles and rubbed his back. It wasn't incredibly comforting but it was practical and made him start to breathe easier. "I knocked," he told Stiles dryly. "I could hear crying through the door and I knocked."

Stiles groaned with the embarrassment of being caught crying and scrambled up. Derek got up too. "Scott's with Allison. They're either working on something crazy werewolf related or doing other things that are unspeakable." 

"I'm not looking for them," Derek said dryly. "I was...alerted to your discomfort." Stiles gave him a confused look and the one Derek returned told him to shut up. "Today's the anniversary of your mother's death, isn't it? I'm sorry Stiles."

Stiles swallowed and shook his head. "It's fine Derek," he mumbled. "She's been gone for years."

"Where's your father?" 

It took a split second for him to break again. He held it in but it didn't matter when he was with a werewolf who was probably listening to his heartbeat, his breathing and everything that indicated he was not okay. "He's gone..." Stiles whimpered weakly. "I'm not sure where he is. He doesn't...hasn't spoken to me...got him suspended...I thought today...all this werewolf stuff..." 

Derek leaned close and the next thing Stiles knew he was hugging a werewolf. It was comfort and immediate and Derek took him towards the living room. He sat Stiles down then stood in the middle of the room, looking all intimidating and Derek like but all emotional at the same time. "Your involvement with Scott and...with me...that's taken a toll on your relationship with your father."

"Uh yeah," Stiles said, "understatement of the year."

Derek seemed to be considering things. He looked Stiles up and down and then nodded. "Wait here Stiles. Promise me you won't leave." 

Stiles didn't have plans that involved leaving the house, at all, but the sharp demand from the werewolf surprised him. "Um sure Derek..."

As fast as he'd came, the werewolf was gone. Stiles occupied himself for the next hour or so with television. He let out a yawn and honestly almost fell asleep halfway through some bad daytime soap opera. When he opened his eyes from the half-nap, Derek was standing in front of him with his father. 

The man looked dazed as confused and honestly smelled like a liquor store. "What is going on here?" he asked. He was surprisingly coherent. Stiles was thankful he hadn't gotten too drunk yet, though he had no idea what Derek was planning to do. Derek stood in front of them, jaw set and glowering.

Derek spoke slowly and calmly. "Sit down, please." To Stiles' surprise, his father sat beside him. "I know today is a rough day for you both. I know what it's like to...to lose. I also know your relationship has suffered because of secrets and lies, many which involve me and mine."

Stiles stared at Derek, unable to believe what he knew was happening. Derek bit his lip, sighing mournfully before turning. His eyes flashed before the rest of him turned. Stiles immediately grabbed his father's hand, afraid Derek would give the guy a heart attack. His father squeezed back, eyes wife and mouth hanging wide open. "I'm not that drunk Stiles...I swear it..." he mumbled under his breath, something that would make Stiles laugh if he wasn't so messed up.

Derek transformed back. "I'm sorry for that," he said, "there was just no easier way to explain this to you." 

Stiles didn't say a word while Derek sat down and explained everything to his father. Derek explained his lineage and how the fire had been an attack on his family of shapeshifters by hunters. Derek then went on to explain Peter's attacks and the fact that Scott had been turned, getting Stiles eternally involved in things that no human should have to. He explained that there were new threats and that the whole mess that cost him his job involved those.

Stiles was shocked most by what Derek said about him. "Stiles is brave and extremely loyal to his friends. He's done a lot to keep Scott, as well as other's safe," he mumbled. "Unfortunately with the hunters getting more and more aggressive he's had to keep secretive. I swear to you, Sheriff Stilinski, that your son is part of my pack and therefore protected, but hopefully this means he won't have to lie to you anymore."

Stiles was overwhelmed. Derek just revealed everything to his father, his father was in the loop and...and Derek considered Stiles in his pack? His head swam in all of the information. 

"Now I have to go." 

Needless to say the conversation following was strange and involved a lot of hugging. Stiles held his father like he'd never held the man before. He swore up and down that he'd keep himself safe and that everything would be okay. Then that evening they went to her grave, father and son with bridges between them starting to rebuild. They talked and even though his father hardly understood the werewolf stuff, Derek's transformation had been more than convincing.

It was late in the evening and Stiles was thankful for the day. He sat in his room, unsure of what to say or do. The whole game had changed now that his dad knew the truth. It was scary but honestly, it was better. He didn't know how to thank Derek so he settled on a simple text message.

\-- Thank you. 

Derek's response came back quickly. Stiles smiled a little to see it on his phone.

\-- Don't mention it.

Stiles bit his lip and decided to question things. He was always curious. That was one of his best and worst traits. 

\-- Why'd you risk all that for me?

He waited a long time, breathing heavily. Maybe that was too personal of a question to ask the big, scary werewolf, even of Derek was the one who saved his relationship with his father. 

When the return text came back it was a picture message. Stiles touched the picture to open it up. In the picture, a younger Derek smiled brightly, an arm wrapped around an older man that looked just like him. Stiles felt his heart drop through the floor. It definitely said everything. The bond they had with each other was evident in the grainy picture. It was the same relationship Stiles always had with his dad.

-

Derek had debated whether or not to send Stiles the picture of he and his father, but decided that it conveyed the message perfectly. His father had been his mentor, his guide and his best friend. That was a precious relationship that could not be replaced. He'd missed his father every second since the fire and couldn't stand the idea of Stiles losing his dad. 

He looked at the picture of his father. It was one of the few he had that survived the fire. He'd been so lucky to have his camera on him at school. "One of the biggest lessons you ever taught me was to protect the pack," he muttered, "especially that certain someone. I'm trying." He'd spent so much time trying to convince himself that Stiles wasn't the one for him but maybe, just maybe he was. He missed his dad.


End file.
